Union and Disney still stalled in negotiations

The Orlando Sentinel reports that the day long talks between Disney and the Services Trade Council have ended in no progress despite the presence of a federal mediator. Most of the conversation was about wages. The one area where both sides have said they will never budge. Apparently neither did. Don’t expect a strike anytime soon, but I really don’t expect any progress either until someone does something to break the damn.

6 thoughts on “Union and Disney still stalled in negotiations”

As a Union member and a full time employee I really feel it is put-up-or-shut-up time. I voted for the “final offer” because it was a decent deal and the bonus would’ve helped with a lot of problems. Let’s debunk some myths here though:

Health Insurance: Yes it goes up, but only on people WHO DON’T WORK FOR DISNEY WORLD. My Insurance has stayed the same and will next year as well. Disney’s Health plan is fantastic compared to every other company in the industry and yet we’re whining for more. I’d like to see another company paying $8.00 an hour that will pay for my contact lenses. What goes up is people who work for other companies that have no health insurance so they have to use their spouse’s plan at WDW. So Disney has to pay for the health of the CM’s families as well.

Pay Wage: This isn’t just about raises, this is about distribution of wages. Disney wisely believes that some roles are more important and therefore should be paid more than others. Certain Unions in the STCU (like the the UFCW) believe they are more underpaid and therefore should receive raises at the same percentage point as others. For example, Housekeepers are receiving three raises of 4% of their current pay while merchandise cast are receiving three raises at 3%. Yes this is what this is all about. The real fight is over having everybody receive a 3.2% or whatever when Disney wants to pay some more than others. It’s not even about amounts! It’s percentages! I go nuts just thinking about this.

Union Power: The STCU has none. In the end, Disney WILL win. The State of Florida has assured this as it is a right-to-work state. So there will be no strikes, no work actions. In the end all this will mean Disney’s cast members will receive less money than the mouse was offering in the first place.